Stitch n Bitch Baby!

Well worth a day off from work to meet Debbie Stoller at my LYS, Knit n Knibble. We heard all about her creative process and how she decided to write Happy Hooker and do what she did for knitting...make crocheting hip. She is one hip chick. Here are some pics with samples of some of the projects in Happy Hooker. (Also got my SnB Nation and Happy Hooker signed!):

And Away We Go...

How weird at [cough} my age that I should be so excited to be going to Disney this weekend to celebrate our 14th anniversary! Sans child probably has something to do with it. We originally wanted to go to the beach but had an enormous about of trouble getting a reservation. Guess the spring breakers have more money than ...
We are passing off said child to my parents in Orlando who are coming back from a cruise and then we are golden.

After finishing the gift poncho, I was really not into knitting so much. I have been unusually fatigued...according to my rheumatologists part of the whole disease process with RA. So nothing too much more to report other than after taking a walk over to see what Jess at Fig and Plum is up to I am itching to cast on for Forecast and join the KAL. Yep, the forecast bug has struck me! Enamored with Winnie's version and contemplating some of some Beaverslide.

Just wanted to finally post the finished poncho gift...when I was done and tried it on to see how it looked. What a surprise...the neckline fell to way off the shoulder...thinkin' the weight of the silk dragged it out. So I made 2 I-cords and viola...instant tie and solved the problem.

Addicted to Walking Away

Confession to make...I'm addicted to the Reflections pattern from the Walking Away leaflet by Fiber Trends. I cast on during 24 on Monday nite and have only exclusively been working on my sock pal's first sock (despite the fact that I have a deadline to complete the feather and fan poncho). Excuse the photo taken with the ole digital as hubby needed the good dig for a work event tonite and I promised my sock sister, Ina, a photo update. The pattern is hypnotic akin to Jaywalkers....it just overtakes you. I didn't make any progress last nite as before knitting and Idoling I baked a batch of cookies for the Relay for Life Bake Sale and caught my finger on the metal holder for my Pampered Chef stone (one of my fav kitchen items). Thumb under cold water, iced and buttered. Took aleve and went to bed at 9am. I'm so diggin' these babies that I'm thinking I might click on over to Sunshine Yarns and get some yarn for a back-up pair of sock pal socks (just in case I can't part with these). Plus Dani is have a free shipping sale today! Yippee! Any excuse to purchase yarn! You know it, you do it too!

Back in the Blog

Dusting off around here...did it again knitted without blogging. So here is what I have been up to:

Finished my Finnish Socks in no time flat for the Knitting Olympics a week and a day after opening ceremonies. Still need to block them...love the Dale Baby Ull! So soft and cuddly!




Urgrgghhhhj!!!!! I had composed the whole post and while inserting photos lost the whole d--n thing!!!!!!!

Almost as frustrating is the other project that I just finished...the Spider-web capelet from Stitch N Bitch Nation (Debbie Stoller is visiting my LYS at the end of the month!) I knitted this project as a gift for a teenager for a party last nite. Frogged three times so cast on FOUR!!!!! First time...chugged along and realized at about row 15 out of 21 that I didn't follow the pattern by dropping stitches in rows 4 and 8. Frog #1. So I followed the pattern but the dropped stitch in these rows didn't look right or make sense so Frog #2. I realized this past Friday (during a very boring meeting that I should check to see if there were any error corrections online). Found it and followed the new row 4 and row 8 directions but that wasn't right either...it decreased the whole capelet...so you guessed it Frog #3. So then what did the analyzer in me do...logically reworked the pattern and here is what I came up with:

Row 4: k2 (slip 2 purlwise, k2tog, pass 2 stitches over, k1, yo, p1, yo, k1, yo, p1)...repeat in parentheses and knit last 2

Row 8: k2 (k1, yo, p1, yo, k1, yo, p1, slip 2 purlwise, k2tog, pass 2 stitches over) and knit last 2

I finished with a couple of minutes to spare and so opted to make tassels due to time constraints (and no pom pom maker or cardboard cutouts). The pattern only needed one skein of Crystal Palace Merino Frappe with some leftover...and I even lengthened with an extra 4 rows! Plan is to make one for myself from the other skein (block it...pattern didn't mention but it could really use it) and wear it to meet Debbie! So that would be two pink projects done for Project Spectrum!




Currently working on another teenage girl gift...simple feather and fan poncho in Berger du Nord's Belle...100% silk but not as lovely to work with as Mystical Creation.

Plans are also in the works to move forward my forlorn Simply Marilyn from the backburner. Last I checked the front was about half done so that would leave the sleeves...hopefully this would be yet another Project Spectrum completion for March!

And also I need to cast on for my solk pal's socks...I have Opal Flamingo itching for cast on for Fiber Art Walking Away Socks...and project #4 for Project Spectrum. No red...geez, I'm redded out for now so I am eating lots of tomatoes to make up for it!